AHMET DAVUTOGLU URGED FRANCE NOT TO BLOCK TURKEY’S BID TO JOIN EU

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.11.2009 12:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu urged
France on Friday not to block Turkey’s bid to join the European Union.

Davutoglu gave a lecture at the International Diplomatic Academy of
Paris on Friday and said the European Union needs Turkey in order
to overcome political, economic and cultural problems in the new
global order.

At his lecture on "Turkey’s EU vision in regional and global peace
perspective", Davutoglu said that Turkey’s regional vision for peace
would be a gain, not a burden for EU.

Informing participants about Turkey’s recent peace efforts in the
Balkans, Caucasus and the Middle East, Davutoglu said," history and
future of the Balkans, Caucasus and the Middle East are our history
and future. The number of Bosniaks, Albanians, Chechens and Abkhaz
people living in Turkey are more than Bosniaks, Albanians, Chechens
and Abkhaz people living in their countries."

Recalling the protocol Turkey signed with Armenia, the Turkey-led
meeting between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, agreement between
Turkey and Syria to lift visa requirements, and visit made by Turkish
officials to Iraq and 48 agreements signed between Turkey and Iraq,
Davutoglu said, "our vision is a vision for peace."

"Turkey is part of Europe and will continue to be so. We follow this
active policy to contribute to global peace and security," he said."

Stating that equality, respect for common values and the principle of
pacta sund servanda were important values of EU, Davutoglu criticized
recent reactions inside the Union against some countries.

"EU must go through a sociological change too," he said.

Upon a question on relations between Turkey and France, Davutoglu
called on French leaders to act with common strategic vision, not
with public pressure. He said French political leaders should not
set aside common vision and interests, Anatolian News agency reported.